After Allen Iverson's 3-pointer sailed through the net, he sprinted back down court and waved his arms to the fans, cupping his ear to bring their cheers to a boil.
The 76ers built a nine-point lead over the Detroit Pistons with 1 minute and 33 seconds remaining. Just then, Chris Webber stopped Iverson and hoisted him three feet into the air, carrying him to the sideline when Detroit called timeout.
The Sixers' sagging spirits soared Friday night, back at home, against the defending champions. Iverson scored a game-high 37 points to lead the Sixers to a 115-104 victory in the Wachovia Center, cutting Detroit's first-round series lead to two games to one. And for the first time in this series, Iverson and his teammates carried each other.
PHOTO: AP
Iverson added 15 assists and five Sixers scored in double figures. Webber, the much-maligned newcomer, overcame a 3-for-13 shooting start to score nine points in the fourth quarter.
"I'm going to need Chris, and Chris is going to need me," Iverson said. "And we're going to need the rest of our teammates.
"He's a big part of our team," Iverson added. "I think this honestly is the start of something good for this organization, for this city. We're in the beginning stages right now; what better way to start off the 1-2 punch than in the playoffs?"
But for the Sixers, the victory was more than two players playing in a zone. Center Samuel Dalembert's layup protected a one-point lead with 7:51 to play, and he hit a 16-foot, turn-around jumper as the shot-clock buzzed four minutes later, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Rodney Rogers hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Sixers overcome an eight-point deficit and take the lead for good entering the fourth quarter.
"Allen was phenomenal, and I thought that everybody that came in made a difference," Pistons coach Larry Brown said.
Brown had been back four times in the two seasons since he left for Detroit, but this was his first playoff game with the Pistons in Philadelphia, where he and Iverson had spent 57 postseason games and six love-hate seasons together.
In 2001, the Sixers advanced to the finals, losing to the Lakers in five games. That year, Iverson won the most valuable player award.
"I think this year, he may not win it, but this is, by far, in my mind, his best year," Brown said. "He's done an awful lot when you consider what they lost, the changes they made and the importance of the season."
Iverson shot 15 for 26, pacing the Sixers to a 55.1 percent shooting night. That is a rarity against the top defensive team in the league.
"They couldn't miss," Detroit's Chauncey Billups said. "We were right there. Anytime a team beats you shooting all jumpers, you have to tip your hat to them."
The Sixers trailed by eight at the start of the third quarter, but Iverson personally pulled his team back, scoring on three of four possessions.
Rogers, who played no more than 6 minutes in the first two games, thrived in 18 minutes scoring 15 points. He hit the game-tying shot with 3:41 to play in the third.
The rookie Andre Iguodala added seven points that quarter, giving Iverson the help he had been desperately seeking this series.
While four Pistons scored in double figures in the first half, Iverson led all scorers with 17 points, keeping the Sixers in the game despite a deflating opening.
The Pistons unleashed their two-pronged attack, hitting six 3-pointers and going inside to Ben Wallace whenever possible, racing to a 13-point lead early in the second quarter. With smooth, stealth moves along the baseline, the Pistons' Tayshaun Prince scored 13 points and Philadelphia native, Rasheed Wallace, added 10.
Rasheed Wallace also notched a technical foul when he was not even in the game, jumping off the bench and onto the court.
When the fans booed, Wallace just pointed to the scoreboard that had the Pistons with a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter. It would not last.
Ben Wallace was the one who dominated for the Pistons this night, leading his team with 29 points and 16 rebounds. But Richard Hamilton, from nearby Coatesville, Pennsylvania, committed seven turnovers -- equaling the Sixers total for the night.
"You almost need every positive thing to beat them," Sixers coach Jim O'Brien said.
Webber was the force behind Iverson Friday night. After coming from Sacramento in the deadline trade, Webber has struggled with injury and the offense. The home fans had, on some occasions, booed him. On Friday night, Webber, a playoff veteran, heard only cheers.
He called Detroit vulnerable and was proud of his team's fight. Webber barely recalled picking up Iverson in the euphoria. "I don't know, he's light," he laughed. "I'm happy for him, I'm happy for us, the team, the arena."
As for his relationship with Iverson, Webber smiled and said, "I believe it can only get better."
Suns 110, Grizzlies 90
In Memphis, Tennessee, Amare Stoudemire scored 30 points, and Phoenix rolled over Memphis for the franchise's first 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series.
A victory here Sunday would give the Suns a sweep of the opening-round Western Conference series.
Joe Johnson scored 20 points and reserve Jim Jackson added 17 for Phoenix. Shawn Marion added 14 points and 13 rebounds, Steve Nash had 13 points and eight assists.
Lorenzen Wright led Memphis with 14 points. Pau Gasol and Mike Miller had 13 apiece, and Shane Battier and Jason Williams scored 10 each.
The knock on the Suns despite their NBA-leading 62 victories in the regular season was that they couldn't handle physical play from bigger opponents, preferring to sprint up and down the floor.
The Grizzlies felt the time finally had arrived for the franchise's first playoff victory after seven straight losses. They thought they had only themselves to blame in losing Game 2 108-103 on Wednesday night and expected their frenzied fans to provide the edge the team lacked in Phoenix.
What they found out is that the Suns can push back pretty hard when they want without affecting the NBA's best offense.
Kings 116, SuperSonics 104
In Sacramento, California, Mike Bibby had 31 points and seven rebounds in a dramatic improvement on his last two performances, and Sacramento got back in their first-round playoff series to cut Seattle's lead to 2-1.
Kenny Thomas scored 22 points and Cuttino Mobley had 21 -- both career playoff highs -- for the Kings, who rode the energy from their deafening sellout crowd to a 21-point lead in the first half. With Bibby leading the way, Sacramento coolly stayed ahead throughout a foul-filled second half, making 50 percent of its shots.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night, with Game 5 back in Seattle on Tuesday.
Ray Allen scored 33 points and Jerome James had 22 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes of yet another surprising performance. But just as the Kings did in the series' first two games in Seattle, the Sonics fell far behind early and expended all their energy just trying to catch up.
The Kings' playoff fortunes in this rebuilding season probably hang on Bibby, their point guard. But he didn't live up to his vaunted playoff reputation in Seattle, going 8-for-30 in the first two games -- including a 1-for-16 performance that probably decided Game 1 in the Sonics' favor.
But Bibby made five of his first six shots in Game 3, and he rarely stopped attacking the basket. He scored eight points and ran Sacramento's offense with poise in the fourth quarter, finishing 11-for-21.
Meanwhile, Seattle missed its final 10 3-pointers.
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